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Injury Notes: Eichel, Jets’ Updates, Scandella, Schmidt, Neal

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Jack Eichel has taken his first step or skate in his road to recovery from the high ankle sprain that sidelined him on Feb. 10. Given a timetable of four to six weeks, Eichel skated Saturday for the first time, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. Despite skating, head coach Phil Housley stated that he is not ready to return to practice yet and there is no timetable for a return.

“We don’t want to put him under that sort of pressure,” Housley said. “He has skated. He started skating yesterday so that’s good to see him start making progress.”

With the season hitting its final stretch, there is no guarantee that Eichel will return to the lineup at all, although Housley said that Eichel definitely wants to return before the end of the season. The 21-year-old was on pace to surpass his career highs in goals as he already had 22 goals in 55 games (24 goals is his career high). The team is 4-5-1 without Eichel these past 10 games.

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun writes that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Adam Lowry are both progressing, but aren’t expected to return during the Jets’ six-game road trip. Trouba has been missing since Jan. 25 with an ankle injury has been skating for more than a week, while Lowry has been out since Feb. 1 with a lower-body injury. However, forward Brandon Tanev is ready to return, but head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t want to change his forward lineup. Defenseman Toby Enstrom is expected back either Tuesday or Thursday. He’s missed two games with a lower-body injury.
  • Wiebe also adds that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Steve Mason is traveling to New York City to meet up with team for their upcoming game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He got in a game of conditioning with the Manitoba Moose Saturday, allowing four goals on 22 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory. Mason has been out with a concussion and hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 9.
  • Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News tweets that defenseman Marco Scandella, who missed most of Friday’s game due to a big hit on the boards, is practicing with the team today.
  • SinBinVegas tweets that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt and winger James Neal (hand) both did not fly with the team to New Jersey, which will start the team’s five-game road-trip. However, both are expected to eventually meet up with the team.

 

Snapshots: Jets, 2022 Olympics, Lightning, Alt

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The Jets are hoping to have defenseman Dustin Byfuglien back in the lineup sometime early next month, reports Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe.  The veteran blueliner has been out since suffering a lower-body injury on December 9th.  He has, however, returned to practice and will be a welcome addition when he gets the green light to return as he has once again logged heavy minutes this season, averaging 23:40 per game.

Still with Winnipeg, rearguard Toby Enstrom has also resumed skating although his return to the lineup is still a little further off.  Jets bench boss Paul Maurice told Wiebe that Enstrom is still on pace to meet his original timetable for a return which should have him getting the okay to play around the third week of January.

Other news and notes from around the hockey world:

  • The NHL is in no rush to discuss participating in future Olympic Games, notes John Wawrow of the Associated Press. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke with IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner during yesterday’s outdoor game at the World Juniors and acknowledged he was asked about when the NHL would be ready to talk about participating in the 2022 Games in China.  Daly noted that talks won’t begin until the 2018 tournament ends but didn’t pour cold water on the idea, stating that “Obviously, some of the logistical difficulties we have with South Korea will be the same in China. But maybe there are some opportunities in China that aren’t in South Korea”.
  • Lightning winger Ryan Callahan is on schedule in his recovery from an upper-body injury, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. He was initially expected to miss three-to-four weeks after being injured on December 14th but Callahan has already resumed skating.  He’s expected to accompany Tampa Bay on their upcoming five-game road trip that ends on January 7th and he should be close to getting the green light to return by then.  Smith adds that defenseman Anton Stralman, who missed his second straight game Friday with a lower-body issue, is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday.
  • Flyers defenseman Mark Alt has cleared waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link) was first to report. He’s expected to be assigned to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley where he had gotten off to a nice start to his season, recording nine points in 16 games.  For perspective, he had just 11 points in 40 contests in 2016-17.

Minor Transactions: 11/19/17

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There are only five games on tap today, but teams may use their time to make some roster adjustments in preparation of a new week of play. Keep up with everything right here:

  • Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas tweets that the Jets will recall defenseman Tucker Poolman to replace defenseman Toby Enstrom, who will reportedly miss eight weeks due to a lower-body injury. Poolman has been up with the team before and has played three games for Winnipeg. He had played seven games with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, picking up an assist. The 24-year-old blueliner signed with the club earlier this year after playing three years with the University of North Dakota.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they have sent Wade Megan to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Megan was recalled Friday by the Blues for Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, but was a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old center has played in just one game for the Blues, but has played 10 games with the Wolves and has three assists in that span.
  • According to Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens, Anaheim has returned rookie Kalle Kossila to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. After making his NHL debut with one game in 2016-17, the French-Finnish forward has already skated in seven games for the Ducks this season and has performed well. A four-year product of St. Cloud State, Kossila was a major scoring threat for the Gulls last year and has shown flashes for the Ducks, with a goal and an assist already. Undersized, but strong on the puck, Kossila is likely to get another shot at the NHL soon enough.
  • The Florida Panthers have announced that Curtis Valk is headed back to the AHL, as they have loaned him to their affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Valk made his NHL debut on Tuesday, albeit he played only 3:25 and contributed only three face-off losses, but in doing so reached a level that likely seemed impossible at a time. Despite a solid junior career in the WHL, Valk spent almost all of his first two pro seasons in the ECHL, a rare way for a future NHLer to start out. It was only after a breakout AHL campaign with the Utica Comets last season that he drew any big league attention, signing a one-year deal with Florida on July 1st. Valk is small, but has a scoring touch that should keep him in the AHL for a while and could afford him some more looks at the highest level.
  • Arizona Coyotes promising defender Dakota Mermis is on his way back to the AHL, the team announced. Mermis has played in seven games for the ’Yotes thus far, but can get some more work in with the Tuscon Roadrunners, especially with the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jakob Chychrun soon returning from injury. However, Mermis has looked good in his limited exposure and will continue to be the next man up on the Arizona blue line.
  • Following the first two games of his NHL career, Andrew Crescenzi has been reassigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, their parent club, the L.A. Kings, announced. The 6’5″ forward debuted on Tuesday vs. the Vancouver Canucks and skated again on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but failed to make much of an impact in limited ice time. He’ll head back to the minors for some more seasoning.

Toby Enstrom Out Eight Weeks With Lower Body Injury

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According to Winnipeg Jets insider Jamie Thomas (rather nonchalantly), it appears as though the injury suffered by defenseman Toby Enstrom yesterday was much more severe than first imagined. Enstrom left Saturday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with a lower body injury and now it looks like he won’t be back on the ice for quite some time. Thomas reports that the injury will keep Enstrom sidelined for eight weeks. He will be placed on injured reserve.

The loss of Enstrom is a tough blow for Winnipeg, albeit not shocking. Enstrom has played in 60 games, 72 games, and 60 games in each of the past three seasons respectively, only 78% of the possible contests. The 33-year-old has gotten used to being banged up and the Jets have gotten used to dealing with it. Thomas already indicated that Tucker Poolman is likely to be called up and given a regular role on the Winnipeg blue line in Enstrom’s stead.

With that said, it’s still a difficult situation for a club that has the fourth-most points in the NHL and finally have the look of the playoff team that many have speculated over the past few seasons. Enstrom may not bring much offense – in fact he has only two assists this season – but is very reliable in his own end and has been a mainstay for the Jets/Thrashers organization throughout his 11-year career. Enstrom’s offense and ice time may be down in 2017-18, but his absence will still be apparent over the next two months.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Winnipeg Jets

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Winnipeg Jets

Current Cap Hit: $67,661,666 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Patrik Laine (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Kyle Connor (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Nikolaj Ehlers (One year remaining, $894K)
D Josh Morrissey (One year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Laine: $2.65MM
Ehlers: $850K
Connor: $850K
Morrissey: $500K

Total: $4.85MM

The future looks bright for the Jets, especially with Laine, who is constantly overshadowed by Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews. Laine, who was taken second-overall in last year’s draft, put up phenomenal numbers that make Jets fans believe again in their team. He put up 36 goals in his rookie campaign and added 28 assists for a 64-point season. He should only get better and become the cornerstone of the franchise in the future. He should be joined by Ehlers, who also had a breakout year last year. The 2014 first-round pick had 15 goals in his rookie year, but added to that this past year, putting up 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points.

The team also has high hopes for Connor to make the team and find himself a full-time role this year. The team’s 2015 first-round pick, put up big numbers a couple years ago at the University of Michigan two years ago, then scored 25 goals with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and still managed to get 20 games in with the Jets, where he scored two goals and three assists. The team believes he has a good shot to end up on one of the back two lines. Morrissey, the team’s first-round pick back in 2013, found a full-time role with the Jets last year as he put up six goals and 14 assists. He is currently slated to start on the Jets’ third-line defense.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Toby Enstrom ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Bryan Little ($4.7MM, UFA)
D Jacob Trouba ($2.81MM, RFA)
G Connor Hellebuyck ($2.25MM, RFA)
F Shawn Matthias ($2.13MM, UFA)
G Michael Hutchinson ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Adam Lowry ($1.13MM, RFA)
F Joel Armia ($925K, RFA)
F Marko Dano ($850K, RFA)
F Brandon Tanev ($700K, RFA)
F Matt Hendricks ($700K, UFA)
F Michael Sgarbossa ($650K, RFA)

That’s a long list, but most of the players are restricted free agents and should easily be retained. However, the team will have to make some decisions on some key veterans, including Little, who many feel is an underrated forward. The 29-year-old has been with the franchise from the start of his career when they were the Atlanta Thrashers and has scored 184 goals for the franchise. With the team’s large number of young forwards, might they move on from Little in a year? Injuries have plagued little over the past two years as he’s missed 48 games. His 21 goals last year were solid, but he will need to prove his value this year if he wants another long-term deal. Another potential unrestricted free agent would be Enstrom, who will be 33 next year and the team will have to decide whether to keep the veteran blueliner. His offensive numbers dropped into the teens in the last couple of years. Mattias and Hendricks are expendable fill-ins, but valuable veterans to hold that roster together.

The team will be looking to several of their restricted free agent as key players in the future. The team will be looking at Trouba to have a big season this year. The 23-year-old defenseman had a career-high 33 points a year ago and he did that in only 60 games, so many feel he may take his game up a notch this year if he can avoid injuries. Despite Hellebuyck’s down year as they attempted to hand him the starting goaltender job, the team still looks at him as a potential starter that just wasn’t ready to take their reigns last year. His 2.89 GAA in 56 games didn’t get the job done. With Mason coming in, Hellebuyck will have more time to develop as a backup.

The team will be looking for Lowry to continue to develop as well. Lowry had 15 goals last year and the 24-year-old is expected to center the team’s third line. Armia also has bigger expectations this year after putting up 10 goals a year ago. He could also end up as a wing next to Lowry on that third line. Dano could also pick up a full-time role with the Jets this year. The former 2013 first-rounder played 38 games for Winnipeg last year, putting up four goals and seven assists.

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Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Ben Chiarot

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The Winnipeg Jets were professional multi-taskers last night. Not long after drafting Kristian Vesalainen 24th overall in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, the “True North” locked up one of their own in defenseman Ben Chiarot. Renaud Lavoie of TVA reported the extension close at close to 11 PM CT in Chicago, as the Jets’ brass were working into the wee hours of the night. Chiarot, an impending restricted free agent, will return for two more years at $1.4MM per season.

Winnipeg has already been masterful this season at keeping their defense intact. They first convinced veteran Toby Enstrom to waive his No-Movement Clause, allowing him to be exposed in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft so that Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba could be protected. Then, upon hearing rumors that the Vegas Golden Knights were considering selecting Enstrom, the Jets struck a deal to move down 13 spots in the NHL Draft, swapping their #13 overall pick with Columbus’ #24 overall pick, which Vegas had already acquired. Now, having survived Expansion with all of their top-four defenseman, Winnipeg has locked up their #5 at a reasonable rate over the next two years of the 26-year-old’s career. With youngster Josh Morrissey  and veteran Mark Stuart also in the fold, it seem that the Jets will enter free agency next week with a solid seven on the blue line and no need for concern.

Chiarot, a big stay-at-home defenseman, also put up a career-high 12 points in Winnipeg last year. In 59 games, the 6’3″, 219-lb. blue liner registered two goals and ten assists, all at even strength. While Chiarot may not be an asset on the power play, he is one of the team’s top penalty killers. Chiarot can check and block shots very well, though the Jets wouldn’t mind if he did more of both. They have two more years to work on rounding out the still-developing defender’s game before he hits unrestricted free agency in 2019. Don’t be surprised to see Chiarot on a short leash over the course of this new contract, as Winnipeg already sports strong depth on defense with top prospects Logan Stanley and Luke Green on their way up sooner rather than later as well.

Central Division Offers Veteran Scoring, Risky Prospects

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The Central Division has quite a bit to offer the Las Vegas Golden Knights from prospects to veteran scorers as they sift through the recently exposed rosters of every NHL team. Several team offer quite a bit of challenging option that the inaugural team can either take, trade off or just work out a deal for some picks. Once again, while some of these players may be available, trades may have already been worked out to persuade Las Vegas to look the other way on a few of them. So don’t be surprised if they don’t take them.

The Minnesota Wild have offered the most intriguing options in the draft after having exposed several interesting players. Due to their defensive depth, the team left several defensemen exposed, including 22-year-old Mathew Dumba, a promising defenseman who has already been in the NHL for three years since being the seventh-overall pick in 2012. Dumba’s 11 goals make him a key defenseman to build their franchise around, assuming the team doesn’t have a side deal set up or the Golden Knights are considering flipping him to another desperate team needing defense. Veteran forward Eric Staal was also left unprotected, leaving Las Vegas with even a tougher decisions to make. The 32-year-old veteran had one of his better season with the Wild this past year, putting up 28 goals. His price tag is even reasonable at $3.5MM for the next two years. Defenseman Marco Scandella is an afterthought here, but on any other team, would be an intriguing option for the Golden Knights.

The Nashville Predators have one obvious candidate in veteran scorer James Neal, who helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. Neal finished the season with 23 regular season goals and the 29-year-old has tallied 80 goals in the last three seasons combined. Whether the Predators have worked out a package in order to keep Neal for their run next year is unknown as of yet. If that’s the case, another interesting name could be 23-year-old winger Pontus Aberg, who has showed a lot of promise in the AHL, including a 31-goal season this past year. He still played 15 games for the Predators, but managed just one goal and had a tough time cracking their rotation. Perhaps the least surprising options go to the Chicago Blackhawks. Long-standing rumors that Chicago has exposed 25-year-old defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk with the supposed agreement they would also take on the contract of Marcus Kruger and his 3.083MM for the next two years for additional costs suggest that Las Vegas already knows what they’re getting.

The Dallas Stars might hope that the Golden Knights take 26-year-old center Cody Eakin. The veteran had an off year after putting up three goals in 60 games, but had tallied 51 goals in the three years before that. The problem with Eakin is the three years he has left at $3.85MM per season. He was originally drafted by McPhee, so maybe the GM would be willing to take his chances with him. Dan Hamhuis could be a solid option as well if the Golden Knights are looking for a 34-year-old veteran defensive-minded blueliner. The Winnipeg Jets did expose 32-year-old Toby Enstrom after he waived his no-movement clause. The veteran could be the perfect person to lead a group of young Golden Knight defenders. Enstrom, despite starting to slow down, is still considered a solid defenseman. However, Winnipeg also left 22-year-old center Marko Dano available to Las Vegas. The former first-round pick in 2013 hasn’t been able to put together a full season, but is still young enough to put it all together. He put up four goals and seven assists last season in 38 games, but missed time due to a lower body injury and never regained his playing time after that.

While the St. Louis Blues exposed Jori Lehtera with the hopes they can package the veteran along with some picks to remove his contract off their books, which still has two years at $4.7MM per season, Las Vegas might be more enamored with 23-year-old Nail Yakupov, who is the former first-overall pick in the 2012 draft. While his career hasn’t exactly gone as planned, he has still shown some glimpses of potential and Las Vegas might be willing to take a chance on him. The Colorado Avalanche surprised a few by exposing goaltender Calvin Pickard. The 25-year-old didn’t have the greatest season last year, evidenced by his 3.02 GAA, but it was behind a weak defense. However, considering the amount of goaltending depth offered from the Eastern Conference, the team might ultimately pass on him considering there are other key goalies available ranging from Petr Mrazek to Marc-Andre Fleury to Philipp Grubauer to name just a few. They may have exposed Pickard to keep 29-year-old Semyon Varlamov away from McPhee, who also drafted the goaltender in Washington back in 2006. Besides that, Colorado left little else exposed.

 

Snapshots: Enstrom, Bystrom, Zettler, Despres

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Winnipeg blueliner Toby Enstrom has decided to waive his no-move clause for the purposes of the looming Expansion Draft, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).  That should allow the Jets to turn around and use the 7/3/1 protection scheme, allowing them to keep several extra forwards away from the Golden Knights.

Enstrom has spent his entire 10 year career with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise and has indicated that he doesn’t want to leave.   However, he’s coming off a down season where he had just a single goal and 13 assists in 60 games and carries a $5.75MM cap hit for one more year.  That’s not likely a contract that Vegas would willingly take on so he’s not at too great of a risk of being selected even though he’ll be exposed.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Stars put pen to paper with one of their defensive prospects on Saturday, announcing the re-signing of Ludvig Bystrom to a one year, two-way deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.  Bystrom was a second round pick of the Stars back in 2012 but has yet to play at the NHL level.  He spent the season with their AHL affiliate in Texas, recording 16 points (2-14-16) in 55 games.
  • The Sharks are leaning towards hiring long-time assistant Rob Zettler to replace Bob Boughner, who left the team to take the head coaching job in Florida, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Zettler is no stranger to the organization having served as an assistant for them from 2002-03 to 2007-08 while also playing for them from 1991-92 through 1993-94.  His last coaching duty was with AHL Syracuse from 2012-13 through 2015-16, primarily as their head coach.
  • As expected defenseman Simon Despres cleared release waivers and is now eligible to be bought out, CapFriendly notes on Twitter. Although he missed all but one game due to concussion trouble, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register confirmed with the NHL and NHLPA that there is a “conceptual agreement on treatment” per Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly that will allow Despres’ deal to be bought out.  It’s worth noting that the blueliner was activated off injured reserve during the postseason although he didn’t get into game action.

Jets Notes: Trouba, Enstrom, Perreault

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At the time he signed his two year bridge deal back in November, the expectation remained that Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba would eventually be traded even though he had rescinded his trade request.  Speaking with reporters today, including Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun, the blueliner stated that he’s happy in Winnipeg and is open to discussing an extension this summer:

“I’ve got no problem with Winnipeg and I think I’ve made that pretty clear. The contract is a two-way street and both sides have to come to together and agree on something. It’s not completely me, it’s not completely them. It’s a mutual thing.  It’s not a super pressing issue, I don’t think. I’ve just got to play out next year and see where it goes.”

Trouba had his best season in 2016-17, collecting a career high 33 points despite playing in only 60 games while averaging just shy of 25 minutes per night, also a career mark.  He’s eligible to sign a long-term extension as of July 1st; if he doesn’t sign one, he’ll be due a qualifying offer of $3.5MM following the 2017-18 campaign.

Other notes out of Winnipeg:

  • Blueliner Toby Enstrom declined to comment as to whether or not he has been asked by management to waive his no-move clause or even if he’d consider doing so, notes Mike Sawatsky of the Winnipeg Free Press. With the team wanting to protect Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien (who also has a NMC), and Tyler Myers in expansion, Enstrom’s clause would force the Jets to protect eight skaters instead of the standard 7/3/1 that most teams will use.  The veteran reiterated that he’s happy in Winnipeg and wants to stay for next season.  He has one year left on his contract with a $5.75MM cap charge which may be too rich for Vegas to take but Enstrom may not want to take the chance.
  • Also in Sawatsky’s column, left winger Mathieu Perreault revealed that he had spoken with management regarding the expansion draft and indicated that he was told that the team will try to do everything they can to protect him. Perreault, whose four year, $16MM extension kicks in next season, has been a popular pick as a player that the Golden Knights could potentially select and slot into their top six.   He posted a career high in points this season with 45 despite missing 17 games due to injury.

Toronto Notes: Andersen, Matthews

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Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen has “no symptoms” of a concussion, but will sit tonight’s game against Blue Jackets, according to coach Mike Babcock. The goaltender is expected to start Game 1 of the playoffs.

Andersen, who was hit by Pittsburgh’s Tom Sestito who ironically was back for his first game after serving a four-game suspension for a hit against Tobias Enstrom, hit Andersen in a fly-by. Initial belief was he had suffered a concussion. Backup Curtis McElhinney took over in Saturday’s game and is expected to get the start with recent callup Garret Sparks to take backup duties.

Other Toronto notes …

  • When rookie Auston Matthews scored his 40th goal Saturday, an empty netter with three seconds remaining that clinched the Maple Leafs a playoff spot, it put the teenager into rare company. The 19-year-old rookie is now the fourth rookie-teenager in NHL history to score 40 goals. He joins elite company next to Dale Hawerchuk (45 goals at 18 years of age in 1981-82), Mario Lemieux (43 goals at 19 years of age in 1984-85) and Sylvain Turgeon (40 goals at 19 years in 1983-84). Matthews had previously broken the American-born rookie scoring record when he recorded his 39th goal Monday.
  • Dave McCarthy of NHL.com reports the Leafs will have nine players play 82 games this year, a testament to their health and one reason for the team’s success this year in reaching the playoffs. Matthews, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, Connor Brown, Leo Komarov, Zach Hyman, Jake Gardiner, Matt Martin, Nikita Zaitsev have played all 81 games so far and are expected to play tonight. William Nylander is only at 80 games.

 

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